[Environmental epidemiologic research as the basis for organizing health inspection]. / Umweltepidemiologische Forschung als Grundlage der Arbeit der Hygieneinspektion.

In the practical work of hygiene guideline and limitation values derived from animal experiments are used. The necessity to verify their validity and applicability by environmental epidemiologic research is pointed out. The close relationship between epidemiological research and practice of hygiene in the GDR is demonstrated by examples. In conclusion the problems are listed which should be treated by environmental epidemiologic research with priority.

[Epidemiological surveys of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide levels in indoor air]. / Epidemiologische Untersuchungen zur Formaldehyd- und Stickstoffdioxidbelastung in Innenräumen.

The influence of HCHO and NO2 on clinical, haematological, immunological, sensory and lung function parameters were tested in 129 children out of 3 classes. As part of a biological monitoring programme formic acid content in urine was determined. Concentration of the pollutants in indoor air was measured by means of passive samples.

[Epidemiologic study of indoor formaldehyde and nitric oxide pollution]. / Epidemiologische Untersuchung zur Formaldehyd- und Stickoxidbelastung in Innenräumen.

The authors report on some selected results of an 87-pilot study, by means of which has been started to analyse the influence of formaldehyde, nitrogenous oxide and tobacco smoke on school children visiting 3. classes in old and new buildings in their schools and dwellings.

[Epidemiologic studies of the effect of air pollution on children]. / Epidemiologische Untersuchungen über die Wirkung von Luftverunreinigungen auf den kindlichen Organismus.

During a seven-year study investigations were carried out on school children from areas with varying concentrations of harmful substances. Psychodiagnostic, anthropometric, clinical, haematological and immunological results are presented and evaluated.

[The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Aeromonas and Vibrio species in river water]. / Untersuchungen zum Vorkommen von antibiotikaresistenten Aeromonas- und Vibriostämmen in Flusswasser.

262 samples of river water had been analysed for the occurrence of antibiotic resistant Aeromonas and Vibrio strains. The bacteria were cultured on selective media containing the antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents oxytetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, ampicillin, kanamycin, gentamycin or trimethoprim. Although it was not possible to identify antibiotic resistant bacteria of the genus Vibrio, resistant strains of Aeromonas hydrophila with a wide variety of resistance patterns could be cultured in many cases. R plasmids were found by means of conjugation in 21.2% of the 826 tested Aeromonas hydrophila strains. They were characterized with the aid of the fin- and pili test. The majority of the R plasmids were fin-negative, and the sex pili could be assigned strikingly often to sex pilus group C with the phages we used. 15 strains of Aeromonas hydrophila had been tested in agarose gel electrophoresis on plasmid DNA. In 11 Aeromonas hydrophila strains with transferable and in 3 from 4 strains with non transferable multiple antibiotic resistance plasmid DNA with 100 Megadalton had been found.

Epidemiological studies regarding the effects of air pollution.

Studies on large samples of the population are an indispensable prerequisite for investigations into the validity and reliability of threshold levels stipulated for atmospheric pollutants purity under real conditions. Children represent suitable groups for such studies, also in the context of meaningful and effective prophylaxis. Epidemiological studies conducted over several years show that there are differences between the anthropometric, hematological and immunological parameters of subjects living in regions with major pollution loads and in so-called "clean air" regions. Conclusions are drawn regarding the work performed by national hygiene authorities, and a method is proposed for the continuation of epidemiological studies in qualitatively and quantitatively differently loaded regions as a contribution to establishing a uniform register of effects.

[CSF diagnosis in syphilis]. / Liquordiagnostik bei Syphilis.

Treponemal antibodies in CSF are often to be found by FTA-ABS and TPHA, also in cases without syphilis cerebrospinalis. The checking of the CSF barrier allows--together with the TPHA-index--the diagnostic of the syphilis cerebrospinalis. Antibodies against treponema pallidum have been proved in 15 patients at different stages of syphilis until 30 years after treatment, but the titres were low. Only in one case we have found an active syphilis cerebrospinalis by the help of the TPHA- and IgG-index.